Service terms – Postal Sending Services

You have asked for, and we have agreed to provide, postal services from New Zealand Post Limited (“Services”). These Service Terms, and the current version of our General Terms, together form the agreement with you to provide the Services. Please read both sets of terms carefully. The current version of the Service Terms applies whenever you use the Services. If the Service Terms are not consistent with the General Terms, the Service Terms have precedence for these Services.

By starting to use the Services, you are deemed to have accepted the General Terms and these Service Terms. No amendments proposed by you apply, unless different terms are specifically agreed with you in writing by one of our General Managers.

Service terms & specifications

  1. The Services and their specifications are set out in the current version of the Postal Users’ Guide (available at www.nzpost.co.nz). If we agree with you to provide other Services to you under these Service Terms, we will provide to you a Service Specification for those Services.
  2. We may open and inspect any item if we comply with the Postal Services Act, and may refuse to accept any item for delivery if we reasonably believe that it does not comply with our agreement with you.

Our prices

  1. Our prices for the Services are based on our standard rates (sometimes called “card rates”), current at the time you lodge your item for delivery. If your pricing schedule does not specify a discount, you must pay the card rate for that Service.
  2. We can only deduct the discounts from the client account codes (sometimes called “TPIDs”) linked to your pricing schedule. Please notify us if you open a new TPID, so we can link it to the correct pricing schedule.
  3. Items franked using a Digital Postal Meter (“DPM”) do not receive the discounts in your pricing schedule. Those items will be charged at the rates set out in the relevant DPM package.
  4. If we re-weigh or re-measure your item, we may charge any higher applicable cost to your account. Our decision as to weight or measurement is final.
  5. We may change our card rates at any time on 30 days’ notice . As noted in clause 11 of the General Terms, if you don't want to pay the new prices, you can stop using our Services from the date the new prices apply.
  6. We may apply a Temporary Continuity Cost surcharge (“TCC surcharge”) to the pricing (excluding Medium letters), where we are affected by demonstrable material temporary cost increases beyond our control. Any applicable TCC surcharge will be reviewed regularly when in effect and any changes will be notified on our website, but for the avoidance of doubt will be effective immediately.

Our liability to you

  1. We are not in a position to know what is in any item given to us for delivery, and we will not be deemed to be aware of the contents. You are not released from your obligation to check the goods comply with the specification for the Service used, just because we have accepted them for delivery.
  2. We limit our liability to you as set out in the Postal Users’ Guide, in particular our liability for the Services is limited to direct loss of, or damage to, your item, and only up to a maximum (including GST) of:
    1. $0 for any letter (less than 260mm x 385mm x 20mm x 1kg);
    2. $250 for any other postal item for delivery in New Zealand or internationally;
    3. $2,000 for any courier item for delivery in New Zealand or internationally,

plus reimbursement of postage costs if the item has been lost
plus any additional compensation cover purchased.

  1. We have no liability to you for delay in the delivery of any item. Our delivery targets are a guide only, although we will endeavour to ensure that your item arrives within our delivery targets.
  2. We will not pay compensation for any other direct or indirect loss or damage suffered by you, even if caused by an intentional act or negligence of our employees, unless we are required to by law.
  3. We are not liable to pay compensation for any loss or damage to an item if the loss or damage occurred after delivery or was caused by fraudulent or unauthorised use of our Missed Delivery service.
  4. You must claim any compensation following the process set out in the Postal Users’ Guide, including making your claim within the required time limit, being:
    1. 10 days after delivery, for damaged or missing contents;
    2. 21 days after sending, for non-delivery of an item to be delivered in New Zealand;
    3. 30 days after sending, for non-delivery of an item to be delivered by courier internationally;
    4. 90 days after sending, for non-delivery of an item to be delivered by post internationally.
  5. If you intend to make a claim in court against us, that claim must be made in a New Zealand court and made within six months after you gave us the item for delivery. The following carriage of goods provisions of the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017 (Subpart 1 of Part 5) do not apply to the Services:
    1. claims of damage or partial loss under s 274;
    2. limitation of actions under s 278; and
    3. actions by the consignee where they are not a contracting party under s 281.

Your responsibilities to us

  1. You must make sure that:
    1. all items given to us for delivery are correctly addressed to addresses within our New Zealand delivery network or to a country where a postal or courier service exists, and show the correct postage has been paid for the Service used;
    2. you follow all instructions about using our Services in the specifications (ie the Postal Users’ Guide or other specifications provided to you). In particular, you must not give us any item for delivery that is inadequately packaged, contains a Restricted item without complying with the stated requirements, or contains any Prohibited item.
  2. Prohibited and Restricted items are set out in the Postal Users’ Guide. Prohibited items include currency, credit or gift cards, perishables, perfume, aerosols and aftershave; Restricted items include fragile items, jewellery, watches, some electronic devices, original copies of identity, travel, ownership or legal documents, and items valued above the compensation limit of the Service used.

We can stop services

  1. If we terminate Services to you in accordance with the General Terms or under clause 18 below, we will still deliver any of your complying items already in our network.
  2. If we reasonably believe you are using a Service for unlawful purposes, we may terminate that Service immediately, by notice to you. Complying items already in our network will still be delivered.
  3. We may dispose of items which cannot be delivered. You may be required to pay us the costs of disposal or other damages incurred.

Additional Postal Service Schedules apply for:

  • Approved Items (for lodging Prohibited or Restricted items)
  • Business Mail Centre
  • Digital Postal Meters
  • Direct Entry Parcels (Australia)
  • DDTP
  • Courier Select
  • Courier Extension
  • Import Express
  • International Postal Services
  • Economy Returns

Download a PDF copy of these Service Terms (PDF - 101KB)

Last updated: 21 April 2022